This invention pertains to sneeze guards for use in conjunction with food buffets and the like found in banquet halls, convention centers, country clubs, night clubs, restaurants and other institutions. More particularly, this invention pertains to a portable sneeze guard that is labor saving, durable, efficient and attractive.
Compliance with food service health and safety codes requires that there be a barrier or shield between a customer and the food served by a restaurant or other food service institution. In order to comply with such codes, a variety of sneeze guards have been invented. However, prior sneeze guards have posed several problems.
First, efficient utilization of floor space often requires that food buffets and the like be set up and torn down on a frequent basis. Conventional barriers pose several problems in this regard. Foremost, it is difficult for a single person to efficiently set up or tear down a conventional serving line comprising several sneeze guards. Most prior sneeze guards have been rigid, cumbersome devices, sometimes with lights and/or a counter attached. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,082,334, 4,013,880 and 3,847,250. Also, as a result of being cumbersome, prior sneeze guards have been prone to being scratched and broken as they are carried from a storage area to a serving line.
The guards for a large establishment can also require extensive and valuable storage space, as they are not foldable or stackable.
Furthermore, many guards are constructed such that the barrier shield may not readily be removed for cleaning or replacement thereof.
Yet another disadvantage of prior sneeze guards is the requirement for frontal support elements that can interfere with access to food by patrons or by personnel who continually restock the food items of a buffet. In this regard, note U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,892,366 and 3,817,310.
It is therefore the object of this invention to remove the aforesaid inconveniences.